Classification of animals by their observable features Pupils can sort and classify native animals by their observable features as defined below: Animals without backbones invertebrates with backbones vertebrates Sponges Platyhelminthes Annelida Echinodermata Cnidaria Nematoda Mollusca Arthropoda jointed limbs hard external skeleton Insects three pairs of jointed legs two pairs of wings Arachnids two body parts four pairs of jointed legs two pairs of appendages for feeding Crustacea seven or more jointed legs two pairs of antennae Myriapods head and eighteen or more pairs of legs Centipedes one pair of legs to each body segment Millipedes two pairs of legs to each body segment naked skin without body hair not naked skin with body hair Fish with fins without fins with feathers, no fur Birds without feathers, with fur Mammals Reptiles with scales Amphibians without scales This diagram shows how common native animals can be sorted and grouped and may be used as a first stage in the progression towards an understanding of the higher level of animal classification. Pearson Publishing, Cambridge CB4 3NP Tel 01223 350555 5
Pupil sheet 1 Key questions for land invertebrate identification Use the Identification Cards to help find out the name of your animal. Carry out the following steps and answer the questions. Use Pupil sheet 2 to help pinpoint your animal. 1 Sort the cards into sets by the number of legs logos shown below: 0 legs 6 legs 8 legs 14 legs More than or none visible or more than 14 legs 4 pairs 2 How many visible legs does the animal have? (Select the set of cards with the matching logo) 3 Does it have wings? Yes 4 What is its size? (approximately) 2 mm to 7 mm Tiny 8 mm to 30 mm Small 31 mm to 120 mm Medium 5 What is its colour? Answer the following questions by looking at the Identification Card you have chosen as matching your animal. 6 Which feeding group does it belong to? Herbivore Feeds on plants Carnivore Kills and eats other animals Detritivore Feeds on fragmented organic matter Omnivore Feeds on both plants and animals Scavenger Feeds on dead and decaying animals 7 What is its habitat? My animal is a... Pearson Publishing, Cambridge CB4 3NP Tel 01223 350555 6
Identification Cards Water Snail Bithynia tentaculata Cyclops Cyclops sp. (female) Operculum Uses the antennae to assist with moving through the water Antenna Some water snails have a horny plate, the operculum, attached to the foot. This fits over the shell opening when the snail has withdrawn itself. Egg sacs 0 15 mm Brown Herbivore In rivers, streams, ditches, canals 0. t visible 3 mm Transparent Seizes small animal and plant particles from the water Ponds, rivers, streams te: Eggs are attached to water plants or stones te: Becomes the prey of many other water creatures Water Flea Daphnia sp. Fresh-water Shrimp Gammarus pulex The number of legs vary but usually there are 7 to 9 pairs Heart Outline of limbs inside the body Eggs The Water Flea is eaten by many other creatures 0. t visible 2 mm Transparent Filter feeder. Filters particles of food from the water into the mouth Ponds, shallow pools, lake edges 14. Sometimes more 16 mm Grey-brown or reddish-brown Feeds on organic particles Running water, rivers, streams te: Water fleas can live from a few weeks to six months te: They hide under stones in areas of running water Pearson Publishing, Cambridge CB4 3NP Tel 01223 350555 19
Teacher s notes Metamorphosis and identifying larvae 1 Metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a marked structural transformation during the development of an organism, as seen in the change from larva to adult insect.there is complete metamorphosis and incomplete metamorphosis. Complete metamorphosis The insects undergo a complete change through the stages of egg to larva, to pupa and to adult insect. The larvae often feed on diets quite different from the adults. For example, adult butterflies feed on nectar and caterpillars feed on plants. Adult Incomplete metamorphosis The wings gradually develop on the outside of the body which gets larger in stages, shedding its outer covering as it becomes too tight. The nymph, as it is called, often looks very like the adult and eats the same food. For example, Grasshoppers and Dragonflies. Adult Pupa Egg Nymph Eggs Caterpillar Nymph 2 Identifying larvae Many different types of insect larvae and pupae can be found when looking for invertebrates, particularly among soil, logs, leaves and leaf litter. There are four basic types of insect larvae: There are two main types of pupa: Butterfly and moth larva Exarate, where the appendages are free, such as in dragonflies Two-winged fly larva Beetle larva Ladybird larva Obtect, where the appendages are fixed in a case, such as in butterflies Pearson Publishing, Cambridge CB4 3NP Tel 01223 350555 44
Pupil sheet 23 Mammals, what they eat and their adaptations Name:... Date:... Weather:... The teeth of mammals are specifically adapted to suit their type of food. 1 Identify the animal 2 Define its food 3 Pinpoint its adaptation, A, B or C Adaptations for feeding Teeth of mammals A Herbivore such as a bank vole Dominant incisors Name Adaptation A, B, C or D plants Molar chewing B Carnivore, such as a fox Dominant canines Canine teeth for tearing flesh Molar chewing C Omnivore such as a badger s, canines and molars Canine tearing flesh Molar chewing Results: Which type are most often seen in school grounds, parks, etc and why is this? Pearson Publishing, Cambridge CB4 3NP Tel 01223 350555 61